Welcome to Akatsuki Enterprises!
by AriaxCantabile
Summary: Modern-Day story following the trials & troubles of young Ayame as she searches for a job in the bustling city. Driven with motivation from her twin sister, Kiame, she continues applying for jobs until one company reaches out to her; Akatsuki Enterprises. (Rated M for suggestive themes & language, but could possibly be T) ItachixOC/SasuxSakuxOC/and more...Reviews welcome!
1. Prolouge

**Welcome to Akatsuki Enterprises  
><strong>_  
>Chapter 1: Prolouge<br>_

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><p><strong>AN;<strong> _**So, I recieved some inspiration to write a new story recently...a humourous one, to contrast some of the other's I've written about...lol. I thought this one might be a little more enjoyable to read, so, here it is! Welcome to Akatsuki Enterprises everyone! :D**_

_**This story, like Fire and Ice, will follow (a somewhat OOC) Ayame, with some antics by her twin Kiame, along with some of the other Naruto cast :D There may possibly be some pairings, some odd, some not, so...I'll probably warn of that happening as the story unfolds in-like this-a little Author's Note, so...yeah. :D Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy reading! :D (Review or follow if you wish!)**_

_**~Aria  
><strong>_

_***(I do not own Naruto or any of the characters, but I do Ayame and Kiame...)***_

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><p>.<p>

I sighed.  
>How hard was it to find a job? I mean, come on.<br>The society of America makes you go to school for years and years, forcing you to pour your life out to education, then once you're released from your prison, you need to pay off debts from-again-this said education, thus to do this, you have to work.

Until you pay it all off, or die.  
>One or the other.<p>

The sigh came again.

"You're never going to find work if all you do is sigh at a computer screen." I looked away from my prospective job search to my sister, Kiame, who had come in for Summer Break to…well…Pretty much annoy me, but to also seek release from her University. Her normally straight brown hair was pulled back into a slouchy bun (I never did understand why she thought that hairstyle practical…all it did was cause tangles…defeating the purpose), eyes clad with her horn-rimmed reading glasses, and body sporting one of my over-sized sleeping tee-shirts (did she not bring her own clothes to wear?).

"I've tried going for interviews, Kia." I glared back at her calm green gaze. We'd had this discussion at least six times since she'd arrived last week. "No one wants to hire me. I'm overqualified."

She grinned as she skipped into my kitchen. "Sucks to be a genius, hunh?"

In reference to what she had just said, no-I'm not a genius. I just happened to graduate a little bit…faster…than most my age; and just so happened to have a few degrees…in different things…Most didn't. "Oh, shut up." I snapped, scrolling through-yet another-list of wanted jobs.

"You know," I heard her call through food filled mouth, (now she's eating what little nourishment I did manage to scrounge…great.) "I could probably get you a job with Shiki (Shikamaru, one of Kia's friends from college) down near the bluff? He owns that Comic shop, you know."

I snapped my computer shut and began to rub my temples, yet another headache was dawning on me. How long had I been looking for jobs anyway? One, two months? "I'd rather not, Kia. I'm all for manga and comics but I need an actual job."

She walked back into my living area/computer room with an arm full of drinks and junk food. "Money is money, isn't it?"

I rolled my eyes and removed myself from my desk, joining her on the couch. "Not when you have student loans and bills to pay. There needs to be a certain quota of money involved at that point."

"Here," Kiame frowned as she handed me a wine cooler. "You don't have any ideas?"

I removed the lid from my Smirnoff and frowned. "Well, some." In truth, I'd had a few prospective call-backs, but when I went in for an interview I was either-as I said before-over qualified, or too young for their business goals (In my opinion, 23 wasn't really that young, but hey-who was I to argue with a bunch of wise old men). "I've bookmarked a few."

"Tell me about them," She grinned, taking a swig of her own hard lemonade.

I really missed having my sister around. We were twins, identical almost-save for eye colour…and a few personality issues. She was always a great help through school; helping me study, encouraging me, providing company-she just had different plans for life than I. She wanted to enjoy university, take her time and explore the possibilities, I, well…I needed to get out of school and get to work. Still, I missed our late night talks and venting sessions. "Tell me about your classes first." I stated, placing my feet up on the table. "Then I'll talk."

"Fine…" Kiame pouted. "But you better tell me, nee-chan…"

I chuckled. "Alright."

"Uhm, I passed all of my courses last semester," She mumbled, "Calculus, Physics, French, British Literature, and Sociology."

"Good," I nodded, taking another drink. How long had it been since I'd actually tasted alcohol? "What degree are you going for now?"

Her frown deepened. "I don't really know…"

I finished off my bottle and grabbed two others from the coffee table, placing one before her. "Then let's have a toast."

Kiame gave me a strange look. "Are you drunk already..?"

I ignored her comment as I clinked our glasses together. "Here's to misfortune,"

She rolled her eyes as joined in my little game. "And the unknown." She finished, laughing.

.

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><p>.<p>

"Hey, Ayame, wake up!"

Who was that?

"Ayame, get out of bed!"

I growled, trying to burrow myself further into my duvet. My head was pounding, much like whoever it was trying to wake me, and man…what time even was it? "Hey!"

I opened a very blurry eye to read, in blinking blue letters, 7:45 on my alarm clock. Damnit, what had Kiame been picking from Naruto while I was away…Didn't she know what time it was? "I'm getting up Kia, calm yourself."

I heard a loud sigh from my sister as she continued beating on my bedroom door, "You better hurry."

"Why?" I shouted, tossing my covers (with a little more force than necessary) to the side.

"There's a girl on the phone for you, she says it's important!"

Realizing that most didn't really call me (not unless it was Kiame or a few friends from college), and that it may be a prospector for a job, I leapt out of bed-practically slamming myself into the door in the process, but hey, I was up. "Where's the phone?" I mumbled, stepping out of my room and into my, still dark, flat.

"Here," Kiame snapped, placing it into my outstretched hand. "The woman wouldn't stop calling until you answered it."

"Thanks." I mumbled, placing the receiver to my face. "Hello?"

I winced at how groggy my voice sounded. "_Hello, Is this Miss Azikuria?" _Kia was right; it was a girl on the other end.

"Yeah, this is her." I answered. "Ayame, specifically."

"_Ah, good. So sorry to call at such an early hour, Miss Ayame, but I am with Akatsuki Enterprises," _The girl stated._ "And I am calling in response to a resume we received from you approximately two weeks ago." _

My heart began to flutter. Was I really getting a call back? After all that misfortune, really?  
>Kiame stood beside me, trying to eavesdrop on the conversation. Apparently she heard, and understood, because she began to grin and nod enthusiastically. "Ah, I see."<p>

"_My employer, Mr. Pain, (_did she really say Pain?)_ would like to schedule an interview with you for a personal secretary position in one of our offices," _She explained. _"Details of the job will be emailed to you after our phone call, be it you accept, and a time will be arranged as well. Do you wish to follow up?"_

Realizing that my eager nods couldn't be seen over a telephone, I replied with a "Yes!"

The woman over the phone seemed amused. "_Alright, Miss Ayame, we will schedule your interview for today at 2:30, does this time work with you?"_

My heart dropped. Really? 2:30? 2:30 **TODAY**? Kia nodded for me, but I managed the words. "Ah, yes."

"_Excellent. Directions to our main headquarters will be sent along with the job description. If any complications should arise, call the number located at the end of said email, and we will follow from there. Do you have any questions?"_

I shook my head, but answered no when I realized-like the nod-she could not see.

"_Very well. We look forward to seeing you for your interview. I am Konan, thank you again for your time."_

"Thank you." I stated, hanging up.

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><p><strong>AN; <em>Soooooo, kind of short, but I thought this would be a good start :D I hope you guys like! Suggestions, comments, critique, or any thing else is welcome and appreciated :D <em>**

**_Thank you!_**

**_~Aria_**


	2. Chapter 1: Coffee, Anyone?

**Chapter 1: Coffee, Anyone?**

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><p><strong>AN: <em>And now with chapter 1! :D lol. I'm really enjoying writing this one...maybe it's the humor...haha. Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy :D<em>**

**_*SilverWolfMaiden; Shirane is in this chapter...;D...SURPRISE!_**

**Thanks for reading!**

**~_Aria_**

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><p>.<p>

"Alright!" Kiame grinned, giving me a huge pat on the shoulder. "I can't believe you actually nailed an interview!"

I grimaced. It'd been long since that call, and once Kiame had heard the good news, she refused to let me sleep-saying I needed to be at my best for today. I don't think these guys wanted to have a potential employee show up grouchy and sleep-deprived, but whatever. I'll just go with it. "We'll just have to see, Kia, I've been to interviews before, remember?"

My sister rolled her eyes as she pushed me into my room, heading straight for my closet. "You need to stop being so negative." She stated, rummaging through my wardrobe. "This may turn out to be a good thing!"

The grimace deepened as I sat down on my bed, watching Kiame. Why did she have to insist on trying to pick out my clothes? Was this some sort of sister thing I'd never heard of?  
>Ahhh...If only I could sleep...<p>

"Do you have any ideas for what you'll wear?" She called back over her shoulder, tossing a few of my things in the floor.

"No," I mumbled, inwardly groaning at the fact that I'd have to clean all of this stuff up later. "The email just said normal dress clothes. Nothing revealing or obnoxiously bright."

A scoff came from my sister as clothes began to be thrown from my closet. "You have absolutely nothing good in here," She stated, "No wonder you don't have a job!"

Heat began to build in my cheeks. What did she know?  
>"Do too," I mumbled, lifting up one of the dressier pieces she'd tossed from its hanger. "I have a pencil skirt."<p>

Kiame placed her hands on her hips as she turned back to look at me. "That skirt is so old, Ayame. You can see it's all faded and torn."

I frowned, insulted.

"If you're going to an interview with a company like Akatsuki, you need to wear something nice," She stated, "They're pretty infamous for their business holdings, after all. You want to make a good impression."

And so my nerves returned.  
>I don't normally get…scared…with thoughts of an interview, but like my sister said; Akatsuki was one of the biggest names in business right now, and somehow I had managed to nail an interview with their boss. I needed to impress.<p>

"Don't worry," She skipped over to the door and tossed my purse at me, grinning. "We'll go and get you something to wear."

Again, my frown deepened. Was she just going to leave my things lying in the floor like that...? "My interview is in like 4 hours, Kiame…"

"We'll just have to be fast then!" She called, already leaving for the stairs.

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><p>.<p>

I scowled as we left the coffee shop, gazing around at the crowds now forming for lunch hour. I'd tried and tried to get Kiame to back off on the "new wardrobe" idea, at least until I had some more money in my pocket, but she wouldn't listen-thus, here we were. "You ready?" Kia giggled, starting down the sidewalk. At least the coffee might wake me up...

I rolled my eyes and followed after her. "My interview is in like, 3 hours Kia, we need to make this fast. At some point I still need to go home and get ready."

She ignored me as we continued through the crowds, trying to spot a clothing store.  
>Summers in Michigan were nice; since it was located further north, the weather never really reached over 80 degrees, at least during this time of year. The winter's were cold, but I'd never really minded frosty weather, I enjoyed it, really. Currently, we were somewhere in between comfort and frost, even though it was the middle of July, but I wasn't complaining. "What about here?" Kiame stated, stopping by the window of a store called '<em>New York<em>.' My wallet visibly twitched as the mannequin's price tags met my eye; $360 for a blouse? "Keep moving." I answered, looking away from the display.

And so Kiame did, but not before she dragged me into the crowd near the entrance, which, I didn't realize, had no respect for a woman with a cup of coffee (not like anyone ever did, but most tried to avoid a potential accident if they could...). With my footing now lost and the grip on the beverage in my hand slipping, I began to brace for the worst; and oh, the worst came.

Apparently the figure directly before me had either not seen me coming (which would have been impossible had they of looked up from their phone) or just didn't care, but there was no escaping it now. In what seemed like a year's worth of time, my coffee slowly fell from my fingers, tossed through the air, and landed in an explosion of cream and sugar on said person's chest.

Initially, I had thought that that would be the worst, but before my poor victim could recuperate (from the scalding beverage now drenching their front), I-also-collided with them; which broke both Kiame's hold on my arm, and the other person's footing. If I were in any other situation, I imagine this little scene looked quite humorous, but, well…this wasn't that situation.

"What do you think you're doing, girl!?" I heard a voice ask, none too pleased.

With great effort, I swallowed my pride and glanced up at my victim-trying to muster the courage to apologize. It was a man, who, by the looks of it, was royally and nobly pissed. I gulped.

He had long black hair, which was parted and pulled into a ponytail-though most still fell into bangs around his face. I imagine he would have had very striking charcoal eyes, be it they weren't twisted into rage and, well…glaring at me. Light tear troughs stood out below the, aforementioned, eyes, though I would venture to say that they'd soften with sleep. "You've ruined my suit." He snapped, glancing down at his clothes.

I flinched. His outfit looked extremely expensive…Tie, blazer, slacks; if he pushed it, I knew there would be no way I could pay him back for the damage my coffee had done. Yeah, I'm sure I could reason with him and find a good dry-cleaning place that would take care of the (now forming) stains; but, well, he didn't really seem like the type to negotiate. "I-I'm sorry, sir. I didn't mean to…"

"Get off of me," Again with the snappy attitude. It was an accident, didn't this guy understand? "Do you even know who I am?"

With a sudden bout of confidence, I shoved myself up from the hateful man (mentally taking note that the coffee had also managed to stain my white top…(the white top that Kia had forced me to wear….)). "Look, jerk," The man's black eyes widened. I could see my sister violently shaking her head, telling me to just leave it and head on our way-especially before I caused any trouble-but this asshole was asking for it. "I don't really give a fuck _who_ you are or _what _you do, but next time, why don't you watch where you're going? It's a little too crowded to be strutting around on your cell phone all the time. What happened was an accident, ut you have to admit, it's kind of hard to miss a giant coffee cup hurdling at you."

My confidence began to die as the man stood, his eyes narrowing. "I was making a business transaction with one of the most successful Japanese brokers in Tokyo, girl," He hissed his words, making me flinch. "A transaction that would have made my company well over three million in sales (Crap...). And now, because of you, I have a $6,000 ruined suit (Ohhhhh, double crap), and a deal that could possibly of fallen through, seeing as your coffee made me drop the conference call I was having. So, now, I have to go back to my office and try to sort out the problem that _you _caused. All because you can't watch where you're going."

Kiame, not wishing to cause any more of a scene than we already had, ran up to my side and locked arms with me, trying to drag me away. "We are terribly sorry sir, next time, I'll have to make sure my sister watches where she's walking."

"See that you do." He snapped as he grabbed his belongings.  
>.<p>

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><p>.<p>

"That arrogant son of a bitch." I hissed, following Kiame to my apartment. Now, not only did I have around an hour or so to get ready, but my shirt and pants were also ruined-and not to mention sticky. I desperately needed a shower…a few drinks wouldn't hurt either. "You'd think he'd never of had an accident before."

"Well, it was your fault," My sister chuckled, sliding out of her driver's seat. "You should have watched where you were going."

I followed her lead and stepped out of the passenger's side, grabbing my bags from the backseat. "You were the one dragging me along." I mumbled, glancing up at my flat. "Technically, it's your fault."

My apartment complex wasn't anything special; it smelled, quite horribly from the stairs anyway, but the rooms and neighbors were kind, especially the landlady. She'd given me quite the deal when I first moved here, and still tried her best to make my rent affordable, even bending the pay-date for me on more than one occasion. I should really thank her sometime…I wonder how she's doing?

"Oh well," She smirked, taking off up the stairs. "At least you met a cute guy today."

I rolled my eyes as Kiame skipped up to my door-ignoring my comment. If you call being an ass cute, well, yeah-that guy was a_real _cutie. "You need a key to get in, dunce."

"Aya, I can't believe you got all of those dress clothes, and on sale too!" She giggled, patiently waiting for me to open the door. I shook my head at her childishness-I really missed it sometimes. "But I guess many women don't really wear stuff like that…Must be why it was all on clearance..."

Again, I rolled my eyes, disregarding her as I stepped inside. The sooner I got out of these clothes, the better. "Many women have office jobs, Kia."

"Yeah, boring women." Kiame winked, skipping past me.

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><p>.<p>

I glanced over my reflection in the mirror, not particularly pleased with the person that now stared back at me. Kiame, again, insisted that I try to look my best…thus, _again_, she insisted on doing my hair…and make-up. (At some point, I really need to learn how to tell my sister no…)

Though I normally wear my hair down, and hate for it to be worn in any other way, Kiame had allowed me a compromise by only putting up half of it; to better frame my face, she said. So, my hair was in some half-up half-down style, with a ponytail in the back and bangs in the front-I guess I could live with that. The make-up, however, I hated.

I seldom wore the "greasepaint" that most women wear, mostly because I hated the way it looked on my skin, and felt on it for that matter-it was suffocating; but, against my better wishes, Kiame had managed to put some on me (managed being the key word). Matching black Eye liner and mascara on the eyes, to bring out the blue apparently, with foundation on the skin and nude on the lips. Personally, I didn't like how it looked, as I thought I would, but Kiame kept promising that it would make a good impression, so I just went with it. At least I could pick out my clothes this time…

Though it was just for an interview, I, again, wanted to leave a lasting impression, and decided on a pair of black slacks and matching blazer, with a white button-up underneath. That should be dressy enough, right?

"You look great, you know." Kia grinned, looking me over.

I sighed and grabbed my materials; resume and folder, pen, pencil, references, along with a copy of my college courses and the email I'd printed from earlier that morning; and made my way to the door (shakily, since Kiame had insisted I wear heels…which, like the other things, I don't do). "I don't feel great…"

"There's nothing to worry about." She opened my way to the stairs and handed me my car keys, pushing me out. Looks like I wouldn't be getting a chance to back out... "You just go and be yourself, that will knock 'em dead!"

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><p>.<p>

I sighed, closing the door to my car.  
>Earlier this morning, I'd taken it upon myself to learn more about the Akatsuki company, see what businesses they seemed to divulge stock in, things like that; it looked good to know about your area of interest, right? What I found shocked me; real estate, food, science, banking, manufacturing, health-nothing was off limits for this company. The Akatsuki name was practically on almost everything; and now I understood why.<br>This headquarters was HUGE; just the main complex had to be twice the size of the Fischer Skyscraper, and a hearty rival to the size of the GM Renaissance Building, maybe even bigger.

Three large towers jutted out into the sky (would I have to ride an elevator all the way to the top…?), with tall black windows shining on all angles. A smaller series of buildings connected the towering three together (in what I assumed to be meeting halls, etc.), making the longer buildings look like some large…modern castle (save for the fact that there was an elegantly written company logo gleaming down the (tallest) middle building).

Again, with a sigh, I grabbed my things and made for the parking garage elevator. If this place was already intimidating, just from outward appearances, what were the employees like…?  
>Man, what had I gotten myself into..?<br>.

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><p>.<p>

Well, if this building hadn't of been intimidating from a distance, it was up close.

How in the world had I never noticed this company before? It's in the middle of Detroit for crying out loud…Plus it's twice the size of most buildings here, it's practically screaming of importance.

I glanced down at my watch.  
>2:06.<p>

Was it already that late? Man...I needed to find out where I was going; and with a place this large, it would definitely take awhile.

With a sigh, I made my way through the heavy revolving doors, face-to-face with what appeared to be the entrance hall.  
>Here, high vaulted ceilings (which I found odd, considering the shape and height) gave way to a modern chandelier which hung down into the very heart of the room. Ivory white walls enclosed the room on all sides, drastically contrasting that of the black tile floor. Keeping with their white theme, matching leather couches lined the East and West of the room, for waiting purposes, I suppose, with elegant glass tables and statues on either side. Against the wall opposite of myself, sat a large metal welcoming desk, with the company logo written in bold silver letters across. It was a very elegant room, but the lack of colour made me feel a little uncomfortable; or maybe it was just my nerves?<p>

"Excuse me, Miss," The woman seated in the center of said desk, who had previously been busy with her computer, glanced up at my approach. "Is there something we can help you with?"

I felt a blush creep up on my cheeks; I could just imagine what I looked like, gawking in the entrance to a major company, dressed like I am…"Ah, yes." I mumbled. Both she and the women sitting on either side of her were remarkably good-looking. She, in particular, had blonde hair-so blonde, it looked as if it were silver, with golden eyes (either contacts or hazel, though I couldn't really tell from this distance). "I'm here for an interview."

"Oh," She smiled happily. "You're Ayame Azikuria, here for the 2:30 interview, correct?"

I nodded, pushing some hair away from my face. I was just talking to a secretary, why was I getting so nervous? "Yes, a woman by the name of Konan called me and asked if I could come in earlier this morning."

The woman clicked a few numbers on her keyboard then looked back up at me. "I have you down right here," She stated, standing. "I'll walk you up to his offices, if you wish?"

"Sounds nice," I answered, following her around the desk.

She nodded and turned down into one of the many hallways leading off from the entrance. It was a long walkway, who's walls led off into different sets of meeting rooms and offices (though we were moving so fast it was hard to tell). "Do you live here in Detroit?" The woman asked, coming to a stop near, what I presumed to be, a set of elevators.

"Yes," I answered, following her inside the nearest one. Definitely elevators then. She punched in a password, to give her access to the floor she needed-I suppose, and then pressed the door shut behind her. "I live just between Ann Arbor and here."

"Interesting," She stated, as the elevator began to move. "I live just outside of Windsor myself."

"Cool," I smiled as the elevator began to pick up speed (man, this thing goes really fast…). The nerves from before were beginning to well up within my stomach. What if this interview turned out like all the others? What would I do? I couldn't keep mooching off of my landlady's kindness, nor could I go back to living with Kiame-she was in school, after all...

"My name's Shirane, by the way." She bowed as the elevator suddenly began to slow, (great...already here...) "It was a pleasure to meet you, Ayame, and if you need anything, don't hesitate to ask."

I bowed back, making my way out of the newly opened doors. "Thank you Shirane. It was nice to meet you too..."

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><p>.<p>

**AN: _I know nothing really happened in this chapter, but I hope the next one will be just a little bit better...:(...Hopefully I'll get around to updating Fire and Ice too, lol, at least once my college stuff is out of the way. Ahhhh...busy busy busy..._**

**Anywho, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter regardless, lol. :D More to come!**

**_SilverWolfMaiden; Hopefully you'll like this one XD lol, I have some humorous ideas for the plot in later chapters, but regardless I'm glad you'll give it a try :D _**

**_Happy Thanksgiving (if you celebrate it), if not...uhm...Happy...Week...day...day...lol!_**

**_~Aria_**


	3. Chapter 2 Meetings and Greetings

**Chapter 2: Meetings and Greetings**

**.**

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><p><strong>AN; Wow...I seriously just want to thank everyone who has been keeping up with this story...D": It means so much! I never expected it to receive such kind comments and follows. :D thank you to all! As requested, here is chapter two! :D<strong>

**My busy period is beginning to pass, and I will (hopefully) be able to update more frequently...both this story and Fire and Ice, so, look forward to those! :D**

**.**

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><p>.<p>

"Miss Azikuria?" I glanced up from my spot on the waiting room couch, locking eyes with one of the secretaries I'd spoken with from before. She, like the one's downstairs, was quite…attractive; which-again-only caused my self-esteem to drop even lower.

"Yes?" I stated, standing from my seat. Like the entrance, this floor too had white walls and black tile, though most had been obscured by odd artwork or decorative rugs. There was a desk, on the opposite wall of the elevator, which housed the secretaries and such, though this one didn't seem to have the company logo written across. The floor was grand, considering it was only an office level (would all of them be like this?..)-Akatsuki must be bigger deal than I'd thought.

"Mr. Pain will see you now," She answered. I believe she'd introduced herself as Yari, but I wasn't entirely sure. "If you'll please follow me?"

I nodded eagerly and followed after the woman, careful not to trip over the slick floor. I really hated heels. "Mr. Pain is quite busy," She turned down the hallway and led me to a set of double doors, both large, white, and decorated with intricate glass-work. "He just finished with a meeting, and has another in about five minutes. Most of your interview will take place here," Yari gestured to the doors, "But it may need to continue on his suite a few floors up. Any questions?"

I stared at her, my mouth suddenly running dry. Would I seriously only have five minutes to impress this guy? FIVE minutes? That's less time than all of my previous interviews, divided in half…"Miss Ayame?"

Might as well kiss this job goodbye…"I understand." I blurted out, bowing awkwardly for her help. "I'm ready. Thank you."

Yari smiled as she opened the doors, wishing me luck. "Mr. Pain, Ayame is here." She called inside.

"Let her in," A voice responded, somewhat annoyed.

Great, he was already in a bad mood.

Yari pushed the door open further and pressed me inside, closing it behind me.

"Ayame Azikuria?" The voice asked.

I glanced up at the speaker, somewhat surprised to find a young, ginger-haired man staring back at me. From the conversations both on the phone and throughout the offices, I would have thought the CEO to be more…well…old. But this guy, well, frankly he didn't look old at all; maybe in his twenties, possibly thirties, but definitely not in the age range I had been expecting. Not to mention the…well, I guess they were piercings all over his face, but from this distance I couldn't really tell. "Yes?" I answered, trying to sound confident.

"Take a seat." His hand gestured to the end of the long conference table before me, specifically the chair on the end.

I gulped, attempting to swallow my nerves.

This room, unlike all the rest, was painted a surprising shade of burgundy, with little to no décor (aside from a few plants here or there). Windows lined the wall adjacent to myself, along with a series of projection screens and presentation boards-I guess they really had just finished with a meeting. The majority of the room, however, was taken up by a huge wooden table, of which Pain sat at the end-again, opposite of myself.

"Thank you," I replied, taking a seat. At least the chairs were comfortable…

"I only have five minutes, Miss Azikuria, so let's try to be brief, don't you agree?" Pain asked, glancing up from his watch.

I nodded eagerly, somewhat shocked by the purple shade of his eyes. Did everyone here wear contacts?

"It says here," He gestured to a pile of papers lying before him, "That you graduated from the University of Michigan with a 4.0. Impressive." I smiled. "What degrees?"

"I have an Undergraduate degree in Music Performance and Business, sir, and a Master's in Business-Finance. I did receive a Minor as well, in European Literature and Composition." And now comes the part where he tells me to get out of his office because I'm overqualified…

"Music Performance and Literature? Why those?" He asked, glancing up at me. More importantly, why was he interested?

"Previously, before I switched my major to business, I wanted to be an orchestral clarinet performer. But during my undergraduate studies, I received an injury to my arm which left me unable to hold my instrument. Therefore my instructor told me it would be best to stop playing, before I developed any further damage to my arm." I blushed slightly, no one had really been interested to hear about my injury, but this guy seemed genuinely intrigued. True, it saddened me to talk about what could have been, but it felt good to actually tell someone about it as well. "Personally, I've always been interested in literature; it was a hobby of mine, both in and out of my college years. And during the time of my studies, it was also a requirement for my Business degree, so I felt that I should take the extra classes and minor in that as well."

"So you have recently graduated, then?" He leaned back in his chair, glancing me over. His eyes were definitely purple, and those black dots were most definitely piercings; not the typical image of CEO if you ask me…

-"Yes, this past spring."

"I see," Pain scowled as he racked his brain for more questions. "Have you worked or participated in any internships or abroad programs for a business or office?"

I gulped. Was it just my nerves, or was my throat really this dry? "I took part in a 12 month internship at ANBU Corp., in Lansing."

"I see," Again with the odd responses. "What was it that you did for them, Miss Azikuria?"

"I was on a project board for marketing and sales," I answered. "It was a think-tank of about five or six members, and we headed a particular study which proposed ideas for attracting customers to our franchise."

"Interesting, do you have a reference for this company?" I reached into my folder and pulled out a sheet of references to the past internships and boards I'd been a member of, placing it on the table before me.

"Good." Pain glanced down at his watch, his frown growing. "Unfortunately,"  
>I felt my heart skip a beat.<br>This is where he tells me they aren't interested, that I'm over-qualified and too young, or that I'm not the right image they have for their company. This is when I leave and go back home, beginning my search over again to which one day I could find someone who would hire me…  
>That, or await the day in which I go to jail for being unable to pay my student loans…<p>

"We only have a personal secretary position open. Though you seem to have no experience with a job such as this, I think this particular field you will be working in will appeal to your strengths, be it you wish you enter into our company."

Wait.

If I want to enter the company?

Was he telling me…I got the…  
>I got the job?!<p>

"Would you be interested in my offer, Miss Azikuria?" Pain was now standing, crossing the room to stand before me.

"I, uh…"

He raised a finely manicured eyebrow, accompanied by an extended hand. "Your answer, Miss Azikuria? I'm afraid I haven't all day."

I nodded quickly, taking his hand in my own. "Y-yes, definitely!"

"Excellent." Pain stated, glancing down at his watch. "Ah. I'm afraid I must leave, my clients will be unhappy if I'm late to this meeting, but I will see to it that someone shows you to your offices and such, alright?"

I nodded again, verging on giddy. "Yes, sir."

"Good. I'll be sure to meet up with you later." The ginger haired man left through the doors I had entered, calling for someone to come escort me.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

Wow.  
>Was this for real?<br>Did I really just nail a job, even a secretary position, with a company like Akatsuki?

There's no way.

I'd applied to places less efficacious than this company, for meager positions and humiliating wages, and yet they had told me that they weren't interested.  
>Hah. This will show them.<p>

"Miss Azikuria," Yari, the girl from before, was standing in the doorway, giving me an enthusiastic smile. "If you'll follow me?"

I nodded and retraced our steps back through the office floor, leading us back to the elevator. She stopped, like Shirane, at the doors, putting in a password once inside. "Where are we going?" I asked, stepping in alongside of her.

"To the International Relations offices," Yari stated, pressing the floor number. "Mr. Pain instructed that I was to show you to your suite, and your boss."

I frowned as the elevator began to rise, slowly picking up speed. I didn't know I'd have another boss besides Pain, I'd just assumed the secretary position was for him. Does this mean I needed to do another interview? I mean, that orange haired guy was the CEO, and he said I had the job…Could they still deny me the position if the head of my department didn't like me?  
>"Do you know who I will be working for?"<p>

The woman scowled as she racked her mind for the name, "Uhm, I believe it's Mr. Uchiha who runs that part of the company," She ran a hand through her dark black hair before going on. For some reason she seemed hesitant to divulge any other information. "But I'm not for sure."

I nodded; trying desperately to calm the nerves that had began to stir from within my stomach.  
>What if they told me to go home, before I could tell Kiame that I had actually gotten a job? What if I actually did get the position, but I hated the people I worked with?<br>Or they hated me?  
>Ugh, that would be so annoying…<br>The elevator began to slow, coming to a hault by a floor which blinked the numbers 5 and 8; were there really that many offices in this tower? "Here we are." Yari smiled, stepping out onto the black tile floor.

Like the rooms I had seen before it, this place looked similar (at least in terms of the white walls and black floors), but the ceiling was tall, surprisingly so for the location, anyway. There wasn't a chandelier in the center, like there had been in the welcoming area, but there were striking splashes of red throughout the room, which caught my attention from the otherwise normal looking decor. Red rugs, red vases, red paintings; someone clearly had a favourite colour.

I followed after Yari, trying not to make eye contact with the attractive secretaries at the front desk; were there really sets of them at every floor?  
>Would I have to dress like that to work here…?<p>

"Oi, who's this?"

I glanced up, almost running into, the now stationary, Yari.  
>A man, around 6 foot tall, was standing before us, glancing down at me with a grin on his face.<p>

Now, I'm not really one to stare, I mean…It's kind of rude, especially in a situation like this (I'll have to work with these people, after all), but…this guy, I swear his skin was…yeah, it was definitely blue. It wasn't even even like the sickly blue that you see on the elderly or shut-ins, but…for real, no doubt about it, blue.  
>Plus the…creepy, beady, yellow eyes; were there even pupils in there? "Who's this girl?" He asked again, pointing a large, and fully manicured (not to mention painted), finger towards me.<p>

I scowled, not really amused by the way he called me _girl_. "This is Ayame," Yari stated, speaking up before I could reply. "She's going to take the secretary position for this floor."

"Ayame?" The man grimaced, troubled by the sound of my name (apparently). "Are you American?"

The scowl deepened. "Yes, I am, as I always have been."

"Odd name for someone from the US." He stated, taking a step closer to me. "Family?"

This guy was just being nosy now. Why did his voice have to sound so creepy? "My mother was Japanese, if you must know."

Yari stepped between the blue man and myself, holding out her hands in a defensive manner. "Mr. Kisame, I'm sorry, but I have orders from Pain to show this girl around before his meeting is through." She gestured to the long hallway behind him. "She still needs to meet Mr. Uchiha."

The man, apparently named Kisame, grinned wildly. "All be it of me to interrupt this girl from her little tour." He looked down at me and laughed as he passed by us. "Have fun."

Yari sighed as the blue man left from our line of sight. "I'm really sorry about that."

I tried to wave her apology off, but the smile I made felt insincere after the scowls I'd been holding from before. "It's fine." I stated, for added reassurance.

"Really," Yari slumped her shoulders as she started walking down the hallway, guiding me towards Mr. Uchiha's office. "Mr. Kisame isn't all that bad, but he enjoys harassing all of the new employees."

"Sounds nice." I mumbled, earning a giggle from my guide.

"Yeah," The dark-haired girl before me sighed as we continued through another series of well-trimmed hallways, coming to a hault before, yet another, large set of doors.

"I'm guessing this is his office?" I asked.  
>Why did all of the departments have to be like large dungeons, with these enormous castle doors and long hallways? Did they all have a power complex?<p>

Yari nodded as she knocked on the door, earning her a sharp reply from within. "Enter."

The dark-haired girl pulled open the doors, "I have brought the new prospective secretary Pain has interviewed." She stated, "He said for me to bring her here to meet you."

There was a long silence before the voice answered. "Send her in."

Yari hurried me inside, closing the door behind me as I came into full view of this man's office. Unlike all of the other rooms I'd seen, this one was almost completely made of windows, the only wall being that of the one I'd emerged from. The floor was wooden, with the only carpet being the one under both my feet and the man's desk. The room seemed incredibly modern to me; sleek furniture, appliances (a coffee set-up to my right), and minimalistic artwork; it was more welcoming. Why was this office so much different than all of the rest?

"Are you just going to stand there or are you actually going to enter?" The man snapped, not bothering to look up from the paperwork on his desk.

I scowled, forcing myself further into the room. I may have made a good impression with the CEO, but it looks like I'll be working under an asshole here; great. "I'm Ayame," I managed to choke out, coming to a hault by his desk. I really hope I won't have to wear heels everyday...not with all of these nice floors...

"Yes, I know," He sighed heavily as he looked up from his work; meeting me eye to eye.

Holy.

Fuck.

I'm screwed.  
>I'm sooooo screwed.<p>

There goes every chance I _EVER _had at getting this job.

Every hope, every dream; crushed.

"Ah," I winced as his voice broke through our uncomfortable silence. If this man's temperament hadn't of been venomous before, well, it was acidic now. "The girl with the coffee."

So much for that first impression…

.

* * *

><p><strong>AN; Thank you guys again for reading! :D I appreciate every review, fav, and follow! :D Hopefully I'll have another chapter up for you guys soon...<strong>

_**SilverWolfMaiden; Lololol, I know. XD No longer will she walk and drink coffee...hahaha, especially now. Thanks! XD I'm glad you gigglesnorted XD  
>It's no problem. :D She will be included again as the story continues, definitely, lololol. I shall definitely continue! XD<strong>_

**_SabinxItachi; Thank you so much! :D_**

**_Guest; Thanks! :D Here do be the update...;D_**

**Happy Holidays to all! :D**

**~Aria**


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